(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a drums, and more particularly to an improved hoop for retaining the drum head on a drum.
(2) Background Information
Drums typically are constructed of a layer of membrane stretched over a frame and pulled taut. The membrane, or drumhead resonates to produce a sound upon being struck with a drumstick or other object. Originally, animal skin or hide was used for the membrane, while currently synthetics and other man-made materials have become the preferred material for the drumhead.
The drum hoop is a ring that holds the drumhead stretched tightly over one end of a generally cylindrical shell. The hoop may be adjusted relative to the shell to tighten or loosen the drumhead by the adjustment of a plurality of bolts arranged around the circumference of the shell and hoop and interconnecting the two. The bolts are then turned to draw the hoop down over the rim of the drum shell towards receivers on the shell through which the bolts are threaded, tensioning the membrane. The drumhead is thereby tuned to the desired pitch by the rotation of the plurality of bolts so that the hoop is at a constant distance from the lugs.
One of the drawbacks of current drums is the difficulty in determining whether the hoop is uniformly tightened around the entire circumference of the shell. This would occur either upon initial tuning, or during use, if the drummer intentionally changed the tune of the drum during a performance.